Eutelsat Communications ordered in October 2015 a new-generation high-throughput Ka-band satellite initally known as African Broadband Satellite, later named Eutelsat Konnect from Thales Alenia Space to serve the African continent offering unprecedented operational flexibility.
The all-electric satellite will be the first to use Thales Alenia Space's new Spacebus-Neo-100 platform and will be launched in 2019.
Eutelsat?s order of a high-capacity broadband satellite follows its recent announcement of the lease of Ka-band capacity on the AMOS-6 satellite that will enable broadband services to be delivered in Sub-Saharan Africa from the end of 2016.
With the follow-on standalone satellite, Eutelsat will broaden its African footprint, deliver significant resources for broadband services and set a new benchmark for flexibility in High Throughput Satellites. By using the all-electric Spacebus Neo platform, that combines high efficiency and light weight, Eutelsat will also benefit from competitive launch conditions.
The baseline mission of the new satellite is to provide 75 Gbps of capacity across a network of 65 spotbeams that together provide quasi-complete coverage of Sub-Saharan Africa. The satellite will address direct-to-user consumer and enterprise broadband services using dishes from approximately 75 cm. It will also be used for community networks connected to Wi-Fi hotspots, mobile phone backhauling and rural connectivity.
Eutelsat has the option in the coming months to upscale the satellite to significantly increase overall throughput and service areas. Eutelsat?s African broadband business, including sales, will be managed by a newly created London-based affiliate.
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